Suitable RV Antifreeze

B

bemiller75

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2022
Messages
19
Fluid Motion Model
C-302 C
Vessel Name
SHADOWFAX
I have another question as I prepare my Ranger 31 for winter for the first time. I picked up 12 gallons of pink RV and marine antifreeze at Walmart, and I am planning to winterize systems this week. I was shopping in West Marine, and asked about the RV antifreeze they carry. I was surprised when the clerk told me that I should not use RV antifreeze that contains alcohol in the engine seawater systems. I have never heard that before and found nothing here or otherwise online -- is that just a pitch to sell the more expensive RV antifreeze that West Marine carries, or perhaps the clerk was confusing the internal engine cooling system with the seawater system, or is there some validity to the comment? I will still use my Walmart pink in the A/C, raw water washdown, toilets, shower sump, and generator (I'm blowing the fresh water systems dry).
 
Alcohol (Ethanol) based RV antifreeze may be bad for your systems in that the alcohol can dry out some types of rubber seals, impellers, etc. It can leave a terrible taste in your water system, especially if you use it in the water tank and/or water heater. It can take a long time to flush the taste out. The alcohol can also be flammable, something to consider if using it in the engine compartment or if running heaters.
The Glycol based products cost more, but are do a better job with less taste or odors and are not flammable.
I used alcohol first time then switched to glycol and never looked back.
Also switched to using air wherever possible to blow out the water and leave the system empty. A way better option.
 
Ditto what YuconRon said. I found RV pink anitifreeze at Menards (-75 degree) without the alcohol but I had to pick carefully and read the labels because newer stock all appeared to
Have alcohol. I bought enough for next year too and will hope to get some more alcohol free at West Marine in the spring at a discount maybe.
 
I naively used alcohol based RV antifreeze on my first boat's water system and head. I was rewarded with the need to replace the joker valve on the head and rebuild the diaphragm shower pump. Saved enough on the antifreeze to buy the parts but still had to spend time replacing parts in the spring. Oh and it is flammable. Propylene is about 4 times more $ but worth it.
 
I thought the choices were:
Ethylene Glycol- automotive antifreeze, which is toxic to the environment.
Propylene Glycol- safe non-toxic marine engine antifreeze. It is usually pink, but can come in other colors (purple, orange, blue) that offer increased freeze protection.

I’m not sure what you guys are talking about….bemiller75 was asking about winterizing his engine’s seawater system.
Propylene Glycol would be the correct choice. You should also use non-toxic anti-freeze in heads and holding tank.
 
Thanks much to all who posted for setting me straight (and thanks to the knowledgeable West Marine clerk for alerting me that there were two different types of pink antifreeze!). For snydzy, two different types of pink RV and Marine (-50F) antifreeze are sold, the cheaper version is mix of ethyl alcohol and propylene glycol, the more expensive version is only propylene glycol. The bottles look very similar. I'm amazed that after 60+ years on the water, with boats ranging from 12 ft to 600 ft, I still have much to learn.
 
Can anyone describe their procedure for using air to clear the fresh water lines? I've used RV antifreeze in the past and it takes a long time to get the taste out. I'm thinking that getting everything dry might help that. Also Im wondering if an air blast might help the dismal supply to the galley sink..

Thanks
 
The blow out method uses a compressor of reasonable volume (pancake compressors likely too small), set at a safe low pressure (30 psi). You’ll need to create adapters to tie into your water or raw water system. Makes winterizing much simpler.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the replies. However, I have no idea where to find or how to access the "As the Prop Turns" webinar. Can anyone help mr out with this? It certainly makes sense that you wouldn't want to use too much pressure.

Thanks!
 
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